Container



Jan. 28, 1964 J. B. M CORMICK 3,119,491

CONTAINER Filed June 23, 1961 v 2 Sheets-Sheet l fizvizzzar J7me; .5 mam/wax Jon/m, Wfwkk 213M Jan. 28, 1964 J. B MCCORMICK 3,119,491

CONTAINER Filed June 23, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jim n4, Mum, a

United States atent O 3,119,491 CGNTAKNER James B. McCormick, La Crange, Klh, assignor to Late-- Tel; Plastics Co., Westmcnt, 511., a corporation of Illinois Filed lune 23, well, Ser. No. 119,233 3 Claims. (Cl. 296-56) This invention relates generally to containers and is more particularly directed to an open top carton or tray, which is adapted to serve as an inner shipping container and as a tray for holding a plurality of items in vertically stacked relation therein.

This invention affords particular advantages with respect to the handling and shipping of petri dishes and, consequently, will be described with respect thereto. Such dishes are relatively flat and fragile and are usually shipped with a number of dishes in a single container. The purchaser of such dishes, such as a medical laboratory or the like, generally has a substantial number of dishes in use at any given time and such use frequently requires temporary storage of the petri dish and its content. The space required for such storage becomes important, particularly where the petri dishes contain a culture or the like which must be stored under refrigerated conditions for a given period of time. Furthermore, it is desirable that the dishes be stored in a manner affording access to a selected dish without unnecessary handling of other dishes.

The present invention provides a container or tray which is particularly advantageous in the solution of the above rnentioned problems. A container according to the present invention not only provides an inner shipping container which can be placed in a suitable durable outer container of corrugated paperboard or the like to thereby assist in protecting the dishes during shipment, but this invention also provides a tray which is particularly of value in the storing of the petri dishes in a manner affording easy access thereto.

It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a novel and improved carton or tray structure. A further object of the invention is to provide an open topped carton which is disposed and arranged to serve as an inner shipping conta ner for a plurality of vertically stacked units, and which is adapted to also provide a tray tor such units, wherein any selected one of the units is readily accessible. Another object is to provide a package including such a carton structure. Still another object is to provide an improved paperboard blank for forming the describe carton structure. Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings, wherein:

PTGURE 1 is a perspective view of a tray containing two stacks of petri dishes, said tray embodying various features of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken generally along lines 22 of FIG. 1, showing in particular the access openings for the tray;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a blank lforrnable into the tray shown in FIG. 1; and

FIGURES 4 through 6 are perspective views of the blank of FIG. 3 in various stages of formation into the tray of FIG. "1.

The package shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises, generally, an upwardly open, rectangular, walled tray or open carton 16 for receiving two stacks of petri dishes 12 in side-byside relation. The tray It) has a rectangular bottom wall 14 upon which the dishes 12 rest, side Walls 15 and 18, and end walls and 22. In each end wall it} [and 22, to provide access to one of the stacks of dishes, respectively, there is an elongated, vertically extending, access opening 2-4 and 26. Each opening 24 and Z6 is almost the entire height of the end wall, extending from the upper edge of the wall down through the wall to adjacent its lower edge. Any or all of the dishes 12 in a stack may be removed by placing a finger or other object through the adjacent opening, and under the lowest one of the dishes to be removed. Then the dishes are simply lifted from the tray 10. The openings 24 and 26 are generally diagonmly disposed adjacent opposite sidesof the tray 16, thereby providing a sturdy structure. To give added support to the structure during shipment, the walls at the upper ends of the openings 24 and 26 are not removed, but lines of weakness are provided in these walls to define removable sections 2.8 and 30 detachably connected across the upper ends of the openings. These sections 28 and 30 may be removed by the user when he wants to remove the dishes from the tray.

The illustrated tray 19 may be conveniently fabricated from a paperboard blank such as blank 101: shown in FIG. 3. The material used should be flexible and somewhat resilient, but should be sufficiently sturdy to provide some protection to the tray contents. The blank 10a is pictured with its side which will be disposed on the outside of the assembled tray 10 facing upwardly. The blank Na is cut, scored, and perforated to provide varius panels and tabs, and then it is formed into the tray it).

To be more particular, the blank ltla, as shown in FIG. 3, comprises two elongated rectangular side panels 16a and 18a and two rectangular en-d panels Zita and 22a. The panels are aligned end-to-end, in alternating fashion, viz., the side panel 16a, the end panel 2641, the other side panel that and the other end panel 22a. A corner tab 32 is provided at the outward end of the first side panel 16a. The blank 10a is scored to provide fold lines aa, bb, cc and dd between adjacent panels and between tab 32 and panel 16a.

Four bottom panels 14a, 14b, 14c and 14d, which interlock to provide the bottom wall 14- ot the tray, are connected to the bottom edge of the panels 16a, Ztla, 18a and 22a, respectively. The blank is scored to form a fold line ee between the bottom panels and the respective side and end panels. Bottom panel 14a, which is located adjacent side panel 160, is generally rectangular and has a generally rectangular cutout or recess 34 located centrally of and extending inwardly from its outer edge. Bottom panel 14c, which is located adjacent the other side panel 13a, is tapered inwardly toward the outer edge of the blank, and then ends in a rectangular tab section 36. Bottom sections 14b and 14d are located adjacent end pmels 20a and 22a, respectively. The edges of panels 14!) and 14d which are closest to the recessed bottom panel 14a who the blank The is formed into a loop, as will be described, are provided with a double incline: moving toward the edge of the blank 10a, these edges 1ncline away from the recessed panel 14a, and then incline back, though only part way, toward that panel Me. This double incline thus provides an extension or finger 38 and 4% at the outer end of each panel 141) and 1401, re-

spectively, and pointing inwardly toward the recessed panel 14a.

The tray It) is formed by folding and mterengagmg various parts of the blank 10a. FIGURES 4 through 6 show the blank 10a in various stages of formation. The tray 19 is shown in an inverted position in these figures to best illustrate the assembly, and in particular to illustrate the interengagernent of the parts making up the bottorn wall 14 of the tray.

To fabricate or form the tray 10, the blank Mia is folded along lines aa, bb, cc and dd to form a loop, such as seen in FIG. 4, comprised of the side and end panels 16a, 13a, 26a and 22a. These panels thus form the respective side and end walls 16, 18, 20 and 22 of the tray 119. The end tab 32 is fastened to end panel 22a, as by means of an adhesive, to maintain the parts in this looped position. The looped blank may be flattened for convenience of shipping to manufacturers. The manufao turer may finish the assembly of the tray, by machine or by hand, by opening the loop and forming the bottom panels.

The tray is inverted, and the various bottom panels are folded and interengaged to form the self-locking bottom wall 14. Initially, the recessed panel i l-a is folded into the plane of the bottom wall id, as shown in FIG. 4. Then, the finger-bearin panels 141) and 14d are folded down over the recessed panel 14a, with the fingers 33 and 4t) being inserted under the portion 42 of the recessed panel 14a at the base of the recess 34, to provide an interlocked structure (FIG. 5). The insertion of the fingers 3t; and 59 is readily accomplished by downward pressure on them until they snap under the recessed panel 1%. When thus interlocked, the panels 14 a, 1411 and 14c tend to act as a unit and tend to remain interlocked under most conditions. To complete the bottom wall 14, the tab bearing panel Me is folded down, and its tab 36 is inserted, as shown in FIG. 6, under the portion 4-2 of the recessed panel 42a, but above the two fingers 38 and 4d. The par-ts are dimensioned so that when the tab se is fully inserted, the complete, generally flat, bottom wall 14 is formed.

The tray 16 may now be turned over, and it provides a sturdy, upwardly open tray structure for receiving the petri dishes 12. The panels making up the bottom wall 14 tend to maintain their interlocking assembled positions, and the weight which is distributed over substantially the entire bottom wall when the tray is loaded aids to maintain the panel in these positions.

As shown in FIG. 1, the illustrated tray 14} is shown with two side-by-side stacks of petri dishes, each stack comprising ten small circular dishes of a suitable mateterial such as plastic which usually include a cover portion.

To provide ready access to the tray ll), means are provided, such as the scores, cuts and perforated outs in the blank Illa shown in 3, which define the access openings 24 and 26 in the end panels Zita and 22a. Only one opening 24 will be described in detail as the openings 24 and 26, except for being disposed adjacent opposite sides of the assembled tray '19, have the same general construction in the illustrated structure.

The illustratde access opening 24 is outlined by a continuous line designated ffgg, which has an upwardly curved portion located adjacent the lower edge of the panel 28a, and which extends upwardly as a pair of spaced parallel lines to the upper edge of said panel Zlla. The blank lilo is out along an upwardly curved line hh extending transversely of the parallel lines and disposed somewhat below the upper edge of the panel Zt a. The blank is also cut along the lower part of line ffgg, i.e., that part below its intersection with out line hh. These cuts serve to completely sever the portion of the blank enclosed between them from the rest of the blank to define an aperture 25. The upper ends of the parallel lines, instead of being continuous cuts, are perforated cuts in the blank. These perforated outs provide between them the removable section 28 which serves to connect, and thus hold together, the par-ts of the end panel Zita on either side said section 28. The blank Illa. may be scored across the upper ends of the curved, out line hh to provide a fold line jj dividing the removable section 23 into two parts: an upper part separably connected at either side edge to par-ts of the end panel Zita, and a lower part constituting a. pull tab 44 for grasping and tearing out the removable section 28. The other access opening 26 is similarly provided with an aperture 27 and a removable section 30 having a pull tab 46.

When the tray it is formed from the blank Ida, the access opening 24 in the end wall 29 extends vertically and is disposed adjacent the side of the tray formed by the side wall 16. The other access opening 26 in the opposite end wall 22 also extends vertically, but it is disposed adjacent the opposite side of the tray, that side formed by the side wall 18. In this way, the openings 24 and 26 are in diagonally opposed relation with respect to the tray.

Thus, when the tray 1%} is serving its function as an inner shipping container, the end Walls 29 and 22, even though they have both portions already removed and other sections 28 and 3b which are readily removable, provide essentially sturdy wall structures. When transportation has been completed and it is desired to remove the dishes from the tray, one or both of the removable sections 28 and 3% may be removed, each being readily removed by grasping its respective pull tabs 44 and 46 and pulling outwardly. This serves to tear along the perforated cuts, thus severing the sections 23 and 30 from the tray, and opening the upper ends of the access openings and 25. The apertures 25 and 27 facilitate this grasping and removing operation. With the access openings thus cleared, as many petri dishes as desired may be removed from the tray by placing a finger or other object under one of the dishes and lifting upwardly. In this manner, that dish and the dishes stacked above it may be lifted out of the tray lit. The dishes may of course he returned to the tray for storage, incubation, etc.

By positioning the openings at opposite sides of the tray till, the upright walls are essentially divided into two L-shaped sections connected along their lower edges to the bottom wall 14. Each of these L-shaped sections, which comprises substantially a side wall and a major portion of an end wall, is quite sturdily supported and tends to resist bending-over quite effectively.

Thus, an improved and novel tray structure is provided which is sturdy and protection-giving during shipping and handling, and is also particularly useful to the user of the contents of the tray as it holds the contents in a readily accessible yet protected manner for storage in incubators and refrigerators, transportation, and various other purposes.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the illustrated structure may be modified in various respects without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Various features of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A package including an upwardly open walled tray comprising a generally rectangular bottom wall, two side walls and two end walls extending upwardly from the edges of said bottom wall, said package also including two vertically stacked groups of petri dishes arranged in sideby-side relation so that one group is positioned adjacent one end wall While the other side group is positioned adjacent the opposite end wall, said petri dishes substantially spanning the space between the side walls of said tray, means within each of said opposite end walls providing an access opening through each of said end walls, said access openings being located in diagonally opposed relation to said tray, each of said access opening means defining an elongated vertical slot through one of said end walls extending from a short distance below the upper edge of said end wall to adjacent said bottom wall, said means also including a spaced-apart pair of short, generally vertical lines of weakness extending downwardly from the upper edge of said end wall to meet said slot, so as to define a removable section adjacent the upper edge of said end wall, whereby said package wall tends to maintain its shape during shipment and the removable sections may be removed to afford ready access to the product units within the tray.

2. A package including a rectangular carton including a bottom wall, two side walls and two end walls, said side and end walls being interconnected and extending upwardly from the edges of said bottom wall, said package also including two vertically stacked groups of petri dishes arranged in side-by-side relation so that one group is positioned adjacent one end wall and the other group is positioned adjacent the opposite end wall, said carton having an open top, each of the end walls of said carton being provided with an elongated slot located in diagonally opposed relation to the slot of the opposite end Wall, each of said slots having generally vertical side edges and extending from a position adjacent said bottom wall to a position in spaced relation to the upper edge of said end wall, the upper edge of each of said slots and the upper edge of the respective end wall defining therebetween a section of said end wall disposed above said slot and adapted to maintain the structural rigidity of said carton, lines of weakness extending from the upper ends of the side edges of each of said slots to the upper edge of the respective end wall so as to render said sections of said end walls removable from the remainder thereof, removal of said sections being effective to extend each of the slots to the upper edges of the said end walls and facilitate removal of said petri dishes singly from said carton as needed, and a tab connected to each of said removable sections to faciiitate separation of said sections along said lines of Weakness.

3. A paperboard blank readily formable into an open topped walled tray having access openings and a self-locking bottom wall, said blank being scored and cut to provide a rectangular first side panel, a first and a second ectangular end panel, one end panel being connected to either end of said first side panel along fold lines, a second rectangular side panel connected along a fold line to said first end panel opposite said first side panel, a connection tab for connecting said second end panel to said second side panel when the tray is assembled to provide a loop comprised of said side and end panels, whereby the side and end walls of the tray are formed, each of said end panels having means providing an access opening, each of said means defining an aperture extending from adjacent the bottom edge of one of said end panels upwardly to an intermediate point in that end panel, said means also including a pair of lines of weakness extending upwardly from the upper end of said aperture to the upper edge of said end panel, whereby a removable panel section is provided, a rectangular first bottom panel connected along a fold line to the bottom edge of one of said side panels, said first bottom panel having a recess at the center of its outer longitudinal edge, a pair of locking bottom panels each connected along a fold line to the bottom edge respectfully of one of said end panels, said locking panels being formed with locking fingers adjacent their outer edges and directed, when the loop is formed, toward said first recessed bottom panel, whereby in the assembled tray said locking panels are adapted to lie below said recessed panel while said fingers lie above the edge of said first bottom panel at the base of said recess to lock said bottom panels together, and a rectangular fourth bottom panel connected along a fold line to the bottom edge of the other side panel, said fourth bottom panel having a central tab at its outer end for insertion between said fingers and said first bottom panel in the assembled tray to complete the bottom wall of said tray, whereby a panel forrnable into a self-sustaining, ready access tray is provided.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,034,762 Brown Aug. 6, 1912 2,677,495 Buttery May 4, 1954 2,757,849 Dull Aug. 7, 1956 2,759,657 Durna Aug. 21, 1956 2,944,124 Arnold July 5, 1960 

1. A PACKAGE INCLUDING AN UPWARDLY OPEN WALLED TRAY COMPRISING A GENERALY RECTANGULAR BOTTOM WALL, TWO SIDE WALLS AND TWO END WALLS EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE EDGES OF SAID BOTTOM WALL, SAID PACKAGE ALSO INCLUDING TWO VERTICALLY STACKED GROUPS OF PETRI DISHES ARRANGED IN SIDE-BY-SIDE RELATION SO THAT ONE GROUP IS POSITIONED ADJACENT ONE END WALL WHILE THE OTHER SIDE GROUP IS POSITIONED ADJACENT THE OPPOSITE END WALL, SAID PETRI DISHES SUBSTANTIALLY SPANNING THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SIDE WALLS OF SID TRAY, MEANS WITHIN EACH OF SAID OPPOSITE END WALLS PROVIDING AN ACCESS OPENING THROUGH EACH OF SAID END WALLS, SAID ACCESS OPENINGS BEING LOCATED IN DIAGONALLY OPPOSED RELATION TO SAID TRAY, EACH OF SAID ACCESS OPENING MEANS DEFINING AN ELONGATED VERTICAL SLOT THROUGH ONE OF SAID END WALLS EXTENDING FROM A SHORT DISTANCE BELOW THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID END WALL TO ADJACENT SAID BOTTOM WALL, SAID MEANS ALSO INCLUDING A SPACED-APART PAIR OF SHORT, GENERALLY VERTICAL LINES OF WEAKNESS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID END WALL TO MEET SAID SLOT, SO AS TO DEFINE A REMOVABLE SECTION ADJACENT THE UPPER EDGE OF SAID END WALL, WHEREBY SAID PACKAGE WALL TENDS TO MAINTAIN ITS SHAPE DURING SHIPMENT AND THE REMOVABLE SECTIONS MAY BE REMOVED TO AFFORD READY ACCESS TO THE PRODUCT UNITS WITHIN THE TRAY. 